Tiki News & Lifestyle

My Travels: Back to Los Angeles

Humuhumu gets a tag at Tiki-Ti!

Just got back from a few days in Los Angeles… it was my first trip back since moving away at the end of last November, and it simply could not have been better. The weather was amazing — bright blue skies, temperatures in the 80s — and I had some once-in-a-lifetime-type experiences.

Pictured at left is one of them: after years as a regular at Tiki-Ti, I was awarded with a tag. These tags paper the walls and ceiling at Tiki-Ti, and are highly coveted. They’re distributed at the whims of Tiki-Ti’s owners Mike and Mike Buhen (and before he passed away, Ray Buhen). While one could probably get one pretty easily if one asked nicely, it’s generally regarded as something earned after years of service to Tiki-Ti, and best relished when given freely by Mike. I have friends who have been going to Tiki-Ti weekly for years who do not have tags, and I have friends who only got their tags after going for more than a decade. It’s the sort of thing that generates lots of popping eyeballs, dropped jaws, and breath-taken soft “whoa”s when one is handed out. And this past Wednesday, I got one. No word on when it’ll go up on the wall — it typically takes a few months — but I’m looking forward to seeing it there.

That was just one of our many adventures over the past few days, and more posts are coming. Some highlights: a visit to the Tonga Hut, which has gotten a new lease on life; a visit to the lovely Royal Hawaiian, which is not long for this world; and a modelling session for the online Disney catalog. Sorry pablus, I didn’t scrutinize the Ray’s Mistake drink-making — once again, I was too focused on “WANT!” I think it’s a Jedi mind trick.